Friends of Farms’ Annual Farm-to-Table Dinner Tonight, Plus its New Share the Harvest Program. Big Island Pickleball Tourney Heads to Poulsbo

Friends of the Farms invites you to join them tonight – August 15th – for it annual Farm-to-Table Dinner at Winney Farm—a beautiful evening of connection, community, and celebration. “This is our biggest fundraiser of the year, and your support helps keep our vital programs going strong,” says Executive Director Heather Burger

“Purchase your tickets at https://www.friendsofthefarms.org/rsvp2025 and be part of an evening that brings together farmers, food lovers, and community members in support of the land—and the people—who nourish us. We’ll bring farm-fresh fare, heartfelt connection, and meaningful collective impact,” adds Burger.

“We hope you’ll raise your paddle, bid on incredible auction items, and give generously in support of a more resilient and just local food future,” she further notes.

Separately, the organization has launched a new grassroots program called Share the Harvest in response to a dual crisis unfolding in our community, says Burger.

-Families are struggling to access the food they need.

– Local farmers are losing the revenue essential to sustain their operations.

Indeed, federal funding cuts to both farmers and food banks in our region have caused significant disruptions that have created a critical situation affecting some of our most vulnerable neighbors, Burger explains.

“As we’ve learned through conversations with Lianne Restow, Food Bank Manager at Helpline House“:

• Commodities funding has been reduced by 40%.

• The food bank has had to reduce the number of visits families can make from four times per week to just once due to shortages.

• Supplies from Food Lifeline and Northwest Harvest have been nearly eliminated—recent deliveries included mostly snacks like potato chips and candy.

• Over 400 families now visit the food bank weekly, and more than 625 low-income households rely on Helpline’s services.

• The number of households served has doubled in the past two years.

Simultaneously, the elimination of federal programs such as the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) and the Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) has placed significant financial strain on local farmers, many of whom had planned on this revenue to sustain operations and provide food to the community.

In response, Friends of the Farms launched Share the Harvest, a direct-to-food bank program that sources food from local farmers and brings it straight to the shelves of Helpline House.

Friends of the Farms has raised funds in our community and purchased over 1,100 pounds of fresh produce from local farmers and delivered it to Helpline House Food Bank. “With the deep cuts to funding and rising community need, we need your help, Burger says. “Your donations fund the purchase of farm-fresh produce, dairy, and meat — providing healthy good food to neighbors in need while sustaining our agricultural community.”

For more info visit: https://us14.campaign-archive.com/?u=7f7e19d206b907fce3fe6c92c&id=4a623256e1

Inclement Weather Forces Founders Tournament to Hit the Road to Poulsbo

If you’re looking outside now at the atmospheric river of rain falling outside and were scheduled to play in the Sixth Annual Pickleball Founders Tournament at Battle Point Park, or were thinking you might try catching some of the action, you’re day is not entirely ruined. Due to the forecasted inclement weather, backers of the tournament decided to move it indoors and play at Pickleball Kingdom in Poulsbo for the entire day – today Friday, August 15.

New Location:
Pickleball Kingdom – Poulsbo
21800 Market Pl NW
Poulsbo, WA 98370
(Near the Home Depot)

“We are incredibly grateful to Pickleball Kingdom for generously opening their space to host our tournament on short notice,” says Jessica Perkins, a spokesperson with the Bainbridge History Museum, which helps stage the event. It’s not clear whether the tournament will resume play on Bainbridge on Saturday and Sunday or remain in Poulsbo. The weather is likely to play a major factor in that decision.

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